ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Jose Reyes’ two-month injury absence from the Toronto Blue Jays comes to an end Wednesday when he’ll be activated from the disabled list in time for the series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The all-star shortstop has been out since spraining his left ankle on an awkward slide into second base Apr. 12 at Kansas City, and the decision on his return was made after he went 2-for-4 with an RBI in triple-A Buffalo’s 7-1 loss to Durham on Monday.
A corresponding move won’t be made until after Tuesday’s night’s game against the Rays, but the Blue Jays will need to clear space on both the 25-man and 40-man rosters since Reyes is on the 60-day DL.
They’re currently carrying eight relievers, but they could also option popular shortstop Munenori Kawasaki to Buffalo to make space on the big-league club.
“Someone was telling me that our timeline is being dictated by our winning streak and so on and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” GM Alex Anthopoulos told Sportsnet’s Michael Grange in Buffalo earlier Monday.
“Our clubhouse is strong enough, our talent is strong enough that with all due respect to whether it’s Kawasaki or a reliever or some other player, we’ll be fine.”
Reyes was batting .395 with a homer, five RBIs and five stolen bases when he was injured, and will have missed 66 games by the time he returns.
Just as Reyes comes back from his rehabilitation assignment, Anthopoulos said Brett Lawrie, also recovering from a left ankle sprain suffered on an awkward slide, will begin his own stint Wednesday with single-A Dunedin.
Lawrie took some batting practice against left-hander J.A. Happ, recovering from a right knee sprain, on Monday. There’s no timeline for either player.
“Brett Lawrie will be here (in Buffalo) at some point,” said Anthopoulos. “He’s going to start his rehab assignment on Wednesday in Florida and when he’s ready we’ll have him get some at bats here; I don’t know when.
“Happ’s feeling better. He’s a little achy when he wakes up. But the fact he’s throwing live BP is a great sign.”
Brandon Morrow, who last week suffered a setback in his recovery from forearm issues, remains in a no-throw period of rest.
